Barber chair headrest



Apri! El, 1939. A. TONNING BARBER CHAIR HEADREST Filed NOV. 3, 1937 IATTORNEYS ndrew L VL.

Patented Apr. 11, 1939 UNHTE STATES PATT OFFHC.

3 Claims.

This invention relates to barber or dental chairs, or the like, and hasparticular reference to head rests for chairs of this character.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved head rest forbarbers chairs which may be folded down behind the body of the chairinto a position where it cannot interfere with the barbers work aboutthe customers neck and head during such operations as hair cutting,shampooing, etc.

Another object of the invention is toprovide improved means for mountinga head rest for vertical adjustment relative to the main body of thechair.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved lateraladjustment and supporting means for the head rest.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in sectionof a portion of a chair equipped with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary rear elevation, with portions broken away, of achair, similar to Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the head rest in alowered and folded back position;

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary detailed views of portions of the headrest adjustment mechanism;

Figs. 9 and 10 are fragmentary sectional views through the head restportion of the structure showing the renewable covering holdingmechanism thereof in different positions of operation;

Fig. ll is a transverse section taken substantially along line ii--l lof Fig. 9; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary section through the head rest portion of thestructure taken substantially along line l2-i2 of Fig. 9 and showingportions of the renewable covering gripping mechanism thereof in planView, the covering material being removed therefrom.

In practicing the invention a conventional type chair 2U is shown ascomprising a frame member 22, a rear covering or casing 24 and a topedge molding 26, thus providing an elongate chamber 28 within the chairback and adjacent its upper rear edge.

A head rest 35, of the conventional pillow type, is pivotally supportedby means of link members upon a base plate 32. The link members comprisetwo groups, a front pair 35 and a rear pair 35, the links being arrangedin substantially upright position when the head rest 3l) is in anupright position, as illustrated in solid lines in Figures l and 6. Thebase plate 32 thus provides ,I a support forthehead rest, and in turn isadapted to be supported by means of a pair of downwardly extendingshafts 44 which extend through openings 46 in the top edge molding 26 ofthe chair back, and downwardly into the chamber 28. Shafts de areconnected at their lower end by a 5 transverse bar 5U which is adaptedto engage a toothed rack 52 which is rigidly fastened to the frame 22 asat 5ft. Thus the head rest 30 is adapted to be supported in variouspositions of vertical adjustment relative to the chair back 2|). 10 Atongue 56, suspended at its upper end from the chair frame 22 by meansof a bracket 58, is arranged to be pressed against the bar 5i) by meansof a spring B at all positions of the head rest to resiliently maintainthe bar t in supported engagement with the teeth of the rack 52. Theopenings 46 in the top edge molding 26 are slightly elongated in a foreand aft direction to permit a limited fore and aft rocking motion of theshafts All therein. A roller 6A is pivotally mounted upon the frame 22as at 6B, and at a position spaced below the openings 46 in the top edgemolding. Thus, the operator of the device may press against the rearedge of the base plate 32 and cause the head rest to move forwardly toalimited extent with a pivotal action about the roller 64 as a fulcrum,regardless of the vertical position of the head rest relative to thechair. This forward motion of the head rest causes the lower ends of theshafts i4 to move rearwardly, and thus to carry the bar 5l! laterallyout of engagement with the teeth of the rack 52, and in this positionthe head rest may be elevated or lowered by the operator to any desiredposition of vertical adjustment relative to the chair. When the headrest is allowed to move rearwardly again under the force of the springthe bar 55 engages teeth of the rack bar and thus the head rest issupported again in its adjusted position.

Similarly, forward motion of the head rest releasing the bar 56 fromengagement with the rack 52 permits the complete head rest unit to bemoved up and completely removed from the chair in a manner similar tothe removal of conventional type head rests. However, one of the mostimportant features of the present invention is the provision of foldingmeans whereby the head rest may be folded down behind the chair to aposition wherein it does not interfere with the barbers working abouthis customers neck and head, and it is therefore not necessary that thebarber remove the head rest from the chair as is required in othertypes. Between the openings G5, is a communicating slot il to permitmovement therethrough of the bar 5E and the complete removal of the headrest unit from the chair. While the rack 52 is illustrated as comprisinga pair of parallel opposed toothed ilange portions, it is contemplatedthat a single toothed bar or any other equivalent means could beutilized for the purpose.

The links supporting the head rest pillow 30 upon the base plate 32 areof the parallel motion type although their points of pivotal connectionto the pillow are spaced at a greater distance apart than are theirpoints of pivotal connection to the base plate, thus enabling theoperator to provide a large variety of adjusted positions and angularrelations of the pillow 30 relative to the head of the customer. Alocking mechanism for maintaining the pillow 38 in various adjustedpositions is provided and comprises a pair of wing plates 'l5 which arepivotally mounted upon the base plate by pivot pins 'l1 mounted in theforward and rearward edges of the base plate 32. The wing plates 'l5 areadapted to recline against the top surface of the base plate 32 in closefitting relation thereon when the head rest is folded back and down, asshown in Figures 3 and 4. The wing plates 'l5 are each provided with apair of spaced end anges 'I4 to stiften the plate laterally withoutinterfering with the reclining of the plates in snugly fitting relationagainst the upper surface of the base plate, as shown in Fig. 3. Thusthe head rest and its associated mechanism may be moved to the positionbelow the rear top edge of the main chair, as shown in Figure 3, wherethe barbers work about the customers neck and head will be unobstructed.A pair of springs 18 are utilized to connect the head rest with each ofthe rear of said wing plate flanges 14 through means of swivel pins IS(Fig. 2). The springs 18 are thus arranged in diagonal extendingrelation between the parts and in such manner that when the head rest ismoved to an upright position as illustrated in Figures l and 2 thesprings draw the wing plates 'l5 to upstanding positions and in abuttingrelation against each other, thus providing a truss-like supportingstructure. The links 3B carry therebetween a cross bar 88 havingintermediate depending flanges 82, the upper edge portions of the wingplates 15 being disposed therebetween when in their upstanding position.The anges 82 are perforated to receive therein a latch bar 84 (Fig. 5)which is rotatably carried in one of the link members 3G and is providedat its outer extending end with a handle 88 rigid therewith. The handle88 is formed with a cam section 89 adapted to bear against the side ofthe link 36 to urge the bar 84 outwardly from engagement with the wingplates 15. A spring 86 about the bar 86 tends to urge the bar intoengagement with any one of a series of corresponding perforations 98formed in the upper edge portions of the wing plates 15 for locking thehead rest in various positions of lateral adjustment relative to thechair. Thus it will be seen that rotation of the handle 88 downwardly(Fig. 5) until the cam portion 89 bears against the link 36 moves thebar 84 out of engagement with the wing plates 'l5 so that the head restmay be moved forwardly or rearwardly about its pivotal connections tothe base plate 32. Then, in any position of desired adjustment, thehandle may be turned sidewise until the cam portion 89 avoids contactwith the link 38, and the spring 88 then. moves the bar 84 intoengagement with the openings 92 in the wing plates. The springs 18 areadapted to move the wing plates 'l5 upwardly for latching engagement tohold the head rest in an upright position, or to move the wing platesdownwardly and flatly against the upper surface of the base plate 32when the head rest is folded back and down behind the chair. The wingplates 'l5 are provided with extending portions 'I6 which are adapted toact as stop members to cooperate with the cross bar 80 to limit theforward and downward movement of the pillow member relative to the baseplate.

The head rest pillow member comprises a pair of spaced side plates 400to which the link members 34 and 36 are pivotally connected at theirupper ends. Spacer rods l02 extend between the side plates |08 and arerigidly connected thereto to complete a unitary rectangular frame-likestructure upon which is mounted a head pad |04, which may be in the formof an upholstered pad supported by means of an arrangement of transversesprings.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described indetail it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that theinvention is not so limited but that various changes can be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a head rest for barbers chairs a base plate, a pillow membersupported above said base plate by means of two pairs of substantiallyupright links pivotally connected to said base plate and said pillowmember whereby said pillow member may be moved about the pivotalconnections of said link members to said base plate to various positionsof lateral and inclined adjustment, and means for detachably lockingsaid pillow member in said various positions of adjustment comprising apair of wing plates pivoted to said base plate and adapted to reclinesnugly against said base plate or to pivot upwardly to upstandingpositions in back-to-back relation, and springs connecting said pillowmember and each of said wing plates and extending therebetween ininclined relation whereby movement of said pillow member to a positiondown and behind said base plate pulls said springs downwardly and forcessaid wing plates to a reclined position against the upper surface ofsaid base plate and movement of said pillow member to an uprightposition above said base plate causes said springs to draw said wingplates to an upstanding back-to-back position, and a locking boltcarried by one of said links and adapted to cooperate with perforationsin said wing plates to hold said pillow member in various adjustedupright positions, and a spring mounted upon said bolt and bearingagainst said one of said links and tending to urge said bolt into theplanes of said wing plates and into respective registering aperturethereof to a position of engagement with said wing plates to lock saidhead rest against forward or rearward movement relative `to said baseplate, and a cam shaped handle rigidly extending from said locking boltand adapted to bear against said link with a camming action uponrotation thereof to move said locking bolt relative to said link and tocause withdrawal of the locking bolt from engagement with the wingplates to release the head rest for movement to adjusted positionsrelative to said base plate.

2. A head rest for barbers chairs comprising a base plate and a pillowmember supported by links upon said base plate, a pair of wing platespivoted to said base plate and adapted to move from a reclining positionagainst said base plate to upstanding positions in back-to-backrelation, a cross bar extending rigidly between two opposed of saidlinks, means upon said cross bar adapted for detachable interengagementwith means in said wing plates to maintain said pillow member in variouspositions of adjustment relative to said base plate, and stop means onsaid wing plates adapted to cooperate with said cross bar to positivelylimit the movement of said pillow member relative to said base plate inone direction of movement.

3. In a head rest for barbers chairs a base plate, a pillow memberpivotally supported upon said base plate by means of a link mechanismfor movement in an arc-like path extending from above said base plate toa position below and behind said base plate, and means for detachablylocking said pillow member in various positions along said arc-like pathcomprising a pair of wing plates pivotally mounted upon said base plateand connected with said pillow member by tension exerting means wherebymovement of said pillow member to a position below and behind said baseplate moves said wing plates to snugly recline in parallel relationagainst said base plate, and movement of said pillow member to positionsabove said base plate causes the wing ANDREW TONNING.

CERTIFICATE 0E CORRECTION. Patent NCQ-2,511,017. April 11, 1959 A ANDREWTONNING.

It is herebjT certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction aus follows: Page l,.first column2 line 29, beginning with '"Figs. and lO are" strikeout allto and including the word and period "therefrom" in line )10; and thatthe said Letters Patent should be read ,with this correction thereinthat the same may conform to the reoord of the oase in lthe PatentOffice.

signed and sealed this 16th day of May, Ai. D., 1959.,

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Actingl Commissioner of Patents.

